The Best Presents Don't Come In Boxes
by TinkerBella7
Summary: This is a tag to Flashlight, off a prompt from helloyesimhere who wanted Mac getting hurt during the rescue mission in Hawaii, like when he was getting the scientist out through the elevator shaft. He finishes the mission without telling anyone he got hurt but after the party he can't hide it anymore and Jack isn't happy when he learns the truth. Cue arguing, worry, passing out and


The birthday party hadn't been as bad as Mac had been expecting it to be. Jack hadn't pushed him to be the center of attention other than when he blew out the candles on his cookie-cake, so MacGyver had actually enjoyed himself. The only real surprise was the stack of cards and presents in the corner. Jack had assured him that he'd told the party goers that cards were optional but *absolutely no presents*. At least he hadn't been made to open them in front of everyone, but Mac saw a lot of THANK YOU card writing in his near future. The gifts and cards weren't necessary, but they were rather nice.

Still, Mac was glad it was over. The party had been big, somewhat loud, and totally exhausting having lasted for almost seven hours. To be honest, although MacGyver had been hoping for a small and rather intimate gathering that lasted for maybe three or four hours, he hadn't been totally shocked by the long-lasting, big to-do. It was a Jack Dalton party after all.

Having been forbidden to do any clean up, Mac left the deck and headed inside, pleased to see that all signs of party going had been cleaned up here before Bozer took off to take Riley home. He knew that his roommate needed some talk time with the beautiful hacker, because his *crush* on Riley was obvious to anyone who was breathing, despite the fact that Bozer believed he was doing a good job hiding it. Mac wished him luck.

Standing at the sink, Jack finished washing his hands and turned to see a pale and tired looking MacGyver coming towards him. Frowning, Jack asked, "You okay?"

"I'm good," Mac replied, as he moved to lean against the island. "Thanks for the party."

"It wasn't too over the top?" Jack countered, moving to stand across from him.

MacGyver shrugged, then wished he hadn't because the movement made his shoulder twinge and he suddenly felt a bit light-headed. Not that he was going to let Jack know. Instead he inhaled carefully, exhaled softly and said, "It came close once or twice, but I appreciate you showing restraint overall."

Jack grinned, knowing that it hadn't been easy for the kid, but he was pretty sure Mac had truly enjoyed himself. For the most part. "It was a celebration of life in more ways than one," he countered.

"That it was," Mac agreed.

It had been a hell of a crazy week for them all. Starting with a difficult but successful mission, followed by the rescue mission in Hawaii in the fall out of a 7.2 earthquake, and ending with chasing down and catching Chinese Special forces agents from stealing assassin bullets and putting them out into the world. Climbing through rubble to rescue trapped scientists, then almost being shot by assassin bullets had taken it's toll on MacGyver. Jack hadn't even given him a full day to recover before scheduling tonight's party. How he had pulled it together so fast, Mac wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

Jack was studying Mac closely and something was off with the kid, he just couldn't quite put his finger on what yet. But he would figure it out. "Do you need anything before I take off?" Jack queried.

I'm good," Mac replied. "You sure you don't want to commandeer the couch?" He knew Jack had indulged in a few beers.

"I've been drinking water only for the past three hours," Jack said. "I'm good to go. How about you, you sure you're okay?"

Mac didn't like the intensity of Jack's stare so he moved to the fridge to get a water, just so he wouldn't have to see it. He could still feel it though as he grabbed a water bottle and twisted the cap open.

Jack had followed him because he knew something was wrong and he was hoping he hadn't upset the kid by having this party. Even though MacGyver had told him to do it, Jack knew it hadn't been easy for him. Too many bad memories weighing him down. "Hey, bud...I hope I didn't mess you up with this party. I know you didn't want to celebrate your birthday."

"Stop right there, Jack," Mac was quick to interject. "I told you to throw me a party and it was nice, it really was. Go home, it's already tomorrow." He made to step around his friend only for his knees to buckle, and MacGyver knew he would have hit the floor if Jack hadn't grabbed him. Only that wasn't the best move, because Jack just happened to grab Mac's sore shoulder and the spike of pain made him that much more dizzy.

"What the hell?" Jack was surprised to find himself with an armful of half-conscious Mac. He had seen the kid sway so he had grabbed him on instinct, but then the kid had turned pure white and was barely on his feet. Without hesitating, Jack nearly carried MacGyver over to the couch where he made him lie down. "What's going on, kid?" Jack demanded, as he knelt by the couch, eyes locked on the pale face. "Do I need to call 911?"

MacGyver felt panic wash over him at the thought, making him do something extremely stupid in reaction. He sat up, setting off spikes of pain in his shoulder, ribs and skull. Which made him nearly black out.

Which made Jack freak out all the more. "That's it, I'm calling 911!" He made the kid lie down again then stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket, only to freeze at the sound of MacGyver's command.

"Don't, Jack! Don't call!" It came out weaker than Mac had hoped, but at least Jack listened. Moving much more cautiously, Mac maneuvered himself up right on the couch. He kept his left arm tight to his body and his forearm curled around his ribs for support, but the dizziness was finally easing.

"What the hell is going on, bud?" Jack demanded, as he moved to sit on the coffee table in front of Mac. "What happened to you?"

MacGyver had been hoping to avoid this particular conversation, but since that wasn't going to happen he knew honesty would be the best policy right now. "Remember when I rescued the scientists trapped in the rubble?"

Jack nodded. "You got them out through the elevator shaft. They were all of them very impressed with you, by the way." Which had been impressive in itself, given how the lot of them were brainiacs just like MacGyver.

"Yeah...well...I was the last to go up," Mac began. "So...the cords were starting to wear out and they kinda gave out a bit and I fell." Seeing the shock on Jack's face, Mac was quick to amend. "I didn't fall far, just about twenty feet, I just didn't make a very good landing. I'm okay though, just sore." He watched Jack closely, seeing disbelief followed by worry and chased by anger cross his face. Apparently anger was going to win out.

"Are you kidding me?" Jack exploded. He jumped up and started pacing because he was so angry that his pulse was racing and his heart was thumping hard in his chest. Knowing that Mac was hurting he didn't want to blast the kid, so he was trying to calm down a notch before he said anything else.

MacGyver could almost feel Jack's anger and he wanted to put it out by reassuring his friend that he was just fine. "Jack...I'm okay. I know you're mad right now because I didn't tell you I got a little banged up."

Jack cut him off right there. "Banged up doesn't make you nearly pass out, Mac!" He strode back over to the couch. "I need you to tell me what hurts. Head, ribs, back, knees, ankles...what?"

"Like I said, I'm just sore," MacGyver countered, because if he named specifics he knew Jack would just start yelling again.

"I don't believe you, Mac." Jack was pacing again. "And, since you chose to keep it from me, I don't trust you. So get up, we're going to the emergency room."

MacGyver stared at his friend in disbelief. "Whoa, Jack, you are blowing this way out of proportion. I'm a little banged up and a little sore but I've been worse. So believe me when I say, I'm fine. I'm just tired. A good night's sleep and I'll be good to go."

Jack wasn't buying it, and his anger wasn't even totally directed at Mac. He knew the kid, and only now was he was seeing all the signs of him hurting. Signs he should have noticed before. Signs that MacGyver was getting way too good at concealing. "I'll meet you half way, bud. You let me check you over and we'll go from there."

"I don't see how that's meeting me half way," MacGyver countered, because the last thing he wanted was to be poked and prodded by Jack.

"I check you out or the doctor checks you out," Jack clarified. "Those are your two options. If you're just sore and tired then I'll leave you to get some sleep."

Knowing he was going to regret it, but since there was no way in hell he was going to a doctor, MacGyver nodded. "You win, Jack. Check me over."

Jack was relieved that the kid was giving in so easily. "Let's start with what hurts. Did you hit your head when you fell?"

"I don't think so," Mac replied. He did have a headache and a sore spot on the back of his skull, but he was positive it wasn't serious so he blew that one off. "Look, I'll make it easy on both of us. My shoulder hurts and my ribs are sore. I landed on my left side."

"Okay, take your shirt off," Jack ordered, standing with his arms crossed as he waited for the kid to obey him.

Reluctantly, Mac stood up and did what he was told. He winced as he eased the shirt off his left shoulder, but what made him give pause to this idea was seeing all the bruising on his left ribcage. Jack was going to have a fit. MacGyver started to pull his shirt back on, but Jack stopped him.

Seeing the mottled bruising on the kid's ribcage brought all of Jack's anger back to the surface. "Sonofabitch, Mac! You should have told me about this! What were you thinking?" Jack stuffed a hand in his pocket. "Where the hell are my keys? I'm taking you to the ER for x-rays."

"Not happening," Mac countered, lunging for Jack, who had his car keys in hand now. The problem being that in his desperation, he forgot that his body wasn't up to such athletics and the twisting movement made him see stars, which caused him to stumble. Instinctively MacGyver tried to catch himself, which caused an explosion of white-hot pain traveling from his ribs, through his shoulder and straight into his skull. Darkness filled his vision and Mac only had a moment to mutter, "Crap," before the lights went out and his body folded like a house of cards.

Sheer luck had Jack turning and towards Mac when the kid stumbled, turned whiter than white, then collapsed. Surging forward, Jack managed to catch MacGyver before he hit the floor. He swung the limp body into his arms and carried the kid straight into his bedroom. After carefully laying Mac out, Jack took a moment to check him over. His shoulder looked a bit swollen, as did his ribs, but after gentle prodding Jack felt reassured that the kid hadn't broken anything. Now all he had to worry about was the fact that MacGyver wasn't waking up.

Which was Mac's cue to do that very thing. Body aching, MacGyver swallowed a groan as he forced his eyes to open. He had to blink hard to bring Jack's worried face into focus. "Hey..." Mac mumbled in greeting.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Jack replied, feeling relief wash over him in waves. "You scared the hell out of me, bud."

"Sorry." MacGyver attempted to sit up but got distracted by the fact that he was shirtless. Only to remember Jack ordering him to take his shirt off then telling him he was taking him to the ER. There was also a vague memory of stumbling and everything going dark. Damn. "I passed out?"

Jack nodded. "That you did. Lucky for you I caught you and carried you in here like a knight in shining armor." He broke off teasing when he noticed Mac was shivering. Rummaging through the dresser, Jack pulled out a long-sleeved t-shirt and brought it over to the kid. "Need some help putting it on?"

Mac shook his head, hiding a wince as he shifted to sit up and pull the shirt on. He almost sighed in happiness at the warmth the material provided. Totally worth the pain of putting it on.

"If you put some meat on those bones you wouldn't be so cold all the time," Jack commented.

"I'm not cold all the time," Mac countered. "I live in LA, Jack. It's warm here."

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Jack decided it was time to be blunt, about all things. "I can count your ribs, you know that worries me. You worry me."

Mac did know and he appreciated it, but at the same time he wished Jack wouldn't let it weigh upon him so. "You know I'm okay, right?" He was pretty sure that Jack had given him the once over while he was out, and he would know that Mac was banged up, like he'd said, but that he would heal just fine.

"This time," Jack allowed. "Just like you didn't die from an assassin bullet, even though you put yourself straight in harm's way, even though I told you to stay behind where it was safe."

"We've had this same conversation at least a dozen times, Jack," MacGyver replied. "I disarm bombs for a living, among other things. I don't have a safe job and I'm not going to sit on the sidelines. What's this really all about?"

Jack hadn't wanted to get into it, but he realized he needed to be honest with his friend. "You dodged a bullet yesterday, pun intended. Then you agreed to let me throw you a birthday party, and I admit I didn't waste anytime putting it together."

MacGyver had to interject at this point. "How the hell did you manage to pull that off in one day? I have to admit it was pretty impressive."

"You have a lot of friends, bud," Jack replied. "People who care about you and who wanted to share this day with you. Especially since you finally agreed to let them. To be honest, I made it happen so fast because I was afraid you might change your mind. But it seemed like you had a good time."

"I did, Jack." MacGyver meant it. "I won't lie, I had a bit of a panic attack before everyone arrived, because just the thought of this party brought back a lot of memories I've kept buried years. But it was a good party and I have no regrets."

Jack was glad to hear that, but he had one more confession to make. "When you passed out it scared the hell out of me, bud. And I'm pissed at myself for not noticing that you were hurting. I'm also a bit pissed that you've become way too good at hiding stuff from me. I'm a government agent, I'm supposed to be observant, especially when it comes to my friends."

"You know you're good at what you do, Jack," Mac was quick to reassure him. "But so am I, and I don't want you to worry about me over something minor, when you should be focused on the mission."

"I'm pretty good at multi-tasking, bud," Jack shot back. "I can do both. When you hide stuff from me, I feel like you don't trust me."

MacGyver was stunned by Jack's words, because they couldn't be further from the truth. "I trust you, Jack. In all things, always. Never doubt that, because I never doubt you." Mac meant what he said with every fiber of his being.

Jack felt his heart swell at the sincerity shining in the kid's blue eyes. "If that's true, then trust me when I say that you need to start realizing and accepting that you don't always have the best judgment, nor do you make the best choices when it comes to your own well being. I know it's your job to protect people and save lives, but not at the cost of your own. You hear me?"

"I hear you, Jack." Mac locked eyes with his friend. "But I need you to trust me too. I'm hurting, I won't deny that, but I knew it wasn't serious and I knew it wasn't a priority at the time. Stopping the bad guys from getting away with those bullets came first."

"I get that, I do," Jack conceded. "But next time you're hurting, tell me. If I had known I wouldn't have rushed having the party and you would have had a chance to heal. When you start passing out on me, that means you're hurt seriously enough that you need to at least tell me."

MacGyver realized how worried Jack was about him and he nodded. "Got it, and I will try to remember."

Jack chuckled. "Believe me, I'll remind you. After what happened tonight you know I'm going to be doing a body check on you after each and every mission. Count on it, bud."

"Crap," Mac muttered, because he knew Jack would follow through on it. He'd done it before a few years back, and it had lasted for almost six months.

"That said, you need to get some sleep." Jack patted MacGyver on the leg before heading for the door. "Do what you need to do and I'll check on you in a few minutes before crashing on the couch," he called over his shoulder.

Mac slid off the bed, taking a moment to catch his balance, before Jack's words sunk in. "You don't have to stick around," MacGyver stated. "Bozer will be back soon and I'm fine."

Jack turned back to inform him, "Bozer texted to say he's crashing on the couch at Riley's, so I'm not going anywhere. Now go brush your teeth and go to bed." With that he exited the room.

Shrugging off the feeling that he was twelve years old again, MacGyver did brush his teeth and downed a couple of Ibuprofen, before shucking shoes and socks and jeans and pulling on sweat pants. He then, gingerly, climbed back into bed, before realizing he'd forgotten to turn off the light.

"I've got it," Jack called out, appearing in the doorway as if Mac had conjured him. "Sweet dreams, bud," he whispered.

"You too," MacGyver replied. As he drifted off to sleep he realized, Birthday's weren't so bad after all.

THE END


End file.
